Review: The Forbidden Game Trilogy, by L J Smith

LJane Smith is currently recieving a lot of publicity for her Vampire Diaries, which was recently made into a TV series. Forbidden Game is similar in a lot of ways to that series; young, semi-naive heroine, a 'bad guy' determined to drag her to his side, and a 'good guy' trying to save her.

Jenny is shoping for a new game for her boyfriend Tom's birthday. Ducking into a store she's never seen before, she meets a strange, blue-eyed boy who sells her something simply called The Game.

Jenny senses something off about The Game, but her friends are eager to start. Until they're sucked into the world of The Game, forced to face their worst nightmares in a world where anything is possible.

Jenny's being hunted by Julian, beautiful blue-eyed Julian the Shadow Man. He's loved Jenny for years because she is everything he isn't; light to his darkness, compassion to his cruelty. Now he's hunting her, hunting her friends, to force her to say yes to him.

All I refuse, and thee I chuse...

Jenny has some hard decisions to make. Can she say goodbye to the human world for ever-changing Julian? Can she hold onto her humanity in the face of his Game? In the end she'll have to choose, darkness or light...

Customer Review: The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, Stephanie Meyer

Sorry peoples but the word I use for “The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner” by Stephanie Meyer has to be disappointing. Actually I do love the name, I think it it clever and if you hadn’t read or heard about – I’d go as far as to say impossible – the Twilight series, I think the mere name of this book would catch your interest enough to pick it up and read the back anyway!

This book tells the story of one of the vampires turned by Victoria to join the army she is creating to destroy the Cullens. I think the premise is excellent and it could have been great but she forgets – in my opinion – that Bree is now a vampire and leaves her still with human feelings and no bloodthirstyness, facts all explained away in the book but factors which made me feel she was just cashing in on an already huge franchise. Much has been made of the fact that she released the story on free down-load so she isn’t making money but there is no such thing as bad publicity is there???

All that said, I think there are a million girls, boys and wanna-be vampires out there who will love this book and indeed, bar staff of pubs in Ireland (I met one about two weeks ago!!) who will love this book and will have paid for the book because they couldn’t wait for the free download date and I hope the book for them was all they hoped for and more. Me? A little bit too much pandering to the “fans” in my opinion and not enough staying true to her original premise…



Maeve works for the local County Council.

Books of the Month: June, 2010

Hi.

Adult Book of the Month is The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill. Kidnapped from her village at age eleven and sold into slavery, Aminata spends sixty years trying to return home.

Irish Fiction Book of the Month is Truth or Fiction by Jennifer Johnston. Caroline was expecting a simple, boring magazine assignment. But Desmond Fitzmaurice is anything but dull...

Mind, Body, Spirit Book of the Month is Change your Brain, Change your Life by Dr Daniel G Amen. This is a new programme using drug free methods to fight problems like depression and obsessive worrying.

Minority Interest Book of the Month is You are Here by Christopher Potter. It's a simply presented history of the universe to date, explaining stellar phenomena without resorting to scientific jargon.

The Manager's Choice Book is Never Say Die by Melanie Davies and Lynne Barrett Lee. Thirty years ago Melanie was paralysed in a car accident. This book gives us the ups and downs of an extraordinary life.

Fiction Book of the Month is The Seven Secrets of Happiness by Sharon Owens. Ruby's life is shattered just after Christmas, but through the following year she learns seven secrets that help her keep going...

History Book of the Month is The Resistance by Matthew Cobb. This is the personal story of some of the many ordinary French men and women who risked their lives aiding the French Resistance against the Nazi invaders during WWII.

Cookery Book of the Month is Shrewd Food by Elizabeth Carty. It contains over 120 recipes that can be cooked on a budget as well as preparation and storage tips to help save you time, money and effort.

Sports Book of the Month is Screaming at the Sky by Tony Griffin. Tony was a hurling star when he took a year off to cycle across Canada in memory of his father. This book chronicles the highs and lows of his momentous journey.

SCi Fi/Fantasy Book of the Month is The Edge of the World by Kevin J Anderson. Two great nations have come to war, and a single ship has slipped their grip. Their journey will take them off the map and into uncharted waters...


Children's Book of the Month is The Very Cranky Bear by Nick Bland. All the bear wants to do is sleep. But it's raining out, and Lion, Moose, Zebra and Sheep have nowhere to go.

Children's Half Price Book of the Month is Unhooking the Moon by Gregory Hughes. The Rat has always been a little...different. When her father dies, she decides to run away to see Grandma. What's a long suffering older brother to do?